Former astronaut develops telescope to block meteors

Former NASA astronaut Ed Lu: "It is true that none of the asteroids that have been spotted have a high probability of hitting Earth." Source: NASA

Dr. Ed Lu talked to RBTH about how to prevent meteor scenarios much worse than Chelyabinsk.

Former NASA astronaut Ed Lu: "It is true that none of the asteroids that have been spotted have a high probability of hitting Earth." Source: NASA

In
the wake of last Friday’s unexpected guest from outer space — the meteor
that exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in the Urals
Mountains, RBTH reached out to former NASA astronaut Ed Lu. Lu flew
three space missions on both the Shuttle and Soyuz spacecraft. He spent
six months on the International Space Station along with
the Russian astronaut Yuri Malenchenko in 2003.

Dr. Lu also happens to be leading the first-ever private effort to
build a deep space telescope to help prepare for dangerous asteroids
and meteors. “The meteor explosion over Chelyabinsk is a wake-up call
that the Earth orbits the sun in a shooting gallery of asteroids, and
that these asteroids sometimes hit Earth. We send our heart-felt wishes
to everyone in the Chelyabinsk area, especially those injured, and
their families,” Lu said.

On
Monday, Russian scientists were studying more than 50 fragments of the
10-ton meteor, which shattered 200,000 square meters of glass in the
city, injuring
more than 1200 people. The Chelyabinsk blast was unimpressive when
compared to the famous 1908 Tunguska meteor, which completely leveled a
remote area of Siberian forest the size of the Washington metropolitan
area.

But the fact that no one spotted last week’s Chelyabinsk meteor is deeply troubling.

RBTH: According
to recent NASA estimates there are 981 near-Earth asteroids and about
19,500 midsize near-Earth asteroids. NASA noted that
"none of them represents a threat to Earth in the next few centuries."
Do you agree with this assessment?

Dr. Ed Lu: It
is true that none of the asteroids that have been spotted have a high
probability of hitting Earth. But we have found and tracked less than
one percent of the asteroids that could be a threat and that are larger
than the one that hit Tunguska. The big threat is that we simply don't
know anything about the other 99 percent!

RBTH: Your
foundation is preparing the first privately funded and operated deep
space mission to protect the Earth from asteroid threats. Are you on
track to launch your “Sentinel” telescope?

E.L.: Yes,
we are making very good progress towards a 2018 launch. Last January
Ball Aerospace dedicated their new facility in Boulder where “Sentinel”
will be built. The B612 Foundation has undertaken this project as a
non-governmental initiative, somewhat akin to a growing number of
private space ventures originated in the past few years.

The foundation,
however, is not undertaking this project for profit; we are a
non-profit corporation. Our motivation is strictly to ensure the
survival of life on Earth – all of it.

RBTH: When
it comes to protecting the Earth for space threats, what are the main
differences between B612’s space telescope “Sentinel” and existing
scopes, such as NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer which was
launched on December 14, 2009?

E.L.: “Sentinel”
will be vastly more effective at finding and tracking Near Earth
Asteroids than all other telescopes combined. All other telescopes
combined have discovered about 10 thousand Near Earth Asteroids.
“Sentinel” will find and track on average that same
number (about 10 thousand) each and every month.

The
reason “Sentinel” is so much more effective is that it will be placed
in orbit around the sun, but interior to Earth's orbit around the sun.
From there it will be able to scan outwards continuously looking away
from the sun. Secondly, “Sentinel” is an infrared telescope, and
asteroids are best observed in infrared because they are very dark and
don't reflect much visible light.

The NASA Wide Field Infrared Survey
(WISE) mission you mentioned was an infrared telescope too, but it was
in Earth’s orbit, and is no longer operational. WISE was intended for
other observations, not just asteroids, but it did discover 130 Near
Earth Asteroids. To put that in perspective, “Sentinel” will discover
that number in less than one day of observations.

RBTH: Russia
led space exploration during the 1950s and 1960s and still offers
advanced space technologies (you certainly know this first hand having
been ISS and Soyuz astronaut). Russia is going to launch its own large
telescope called “Spektr-RG” in 2014. Do you see any role for the
Russian space industry to play when it comes to safeguarding our planet
form asteroids and collaborating with B612?

E.L.: In
2003 I had the privilege to fly a Russian Soyuz (TMA-2) to the
International Space Station (ISS). During my years of training for ISS I
came to really appreciate the achievements of the Russian space
program. The “Spektr-RG” telescope will be placed in Earth’s orbit, and
is not an infrared telescope.

It is dedicated to other observations,
and will not be useful for asteroid discovery. I am not familiar with
any concrete plans by Russia with regards to protecting our planet from
asteroids.

However
the B612 Foundation has a strong Russian connection in that we do have
Russian donors. Because the problem of asteroid-impacts is inherently
global, our mission is supported by donors from around the world.

RBTH: Some
Russian government officials put forward the idea of combining
international recourses in order to develop some sort of joint
anti-asteroid missile defense system. Is that doable or just a fantasy?

E.L.: We already know how to deflect asteroids. In the vast majority of
cases, all that is needed [scientists believe] is to simply run into the
asteroid with a small spacecraft, and then if necessary to tow the
asteroid using a [to be constructed] Gravity Tractor spacecraft. But
any asteroid deflection would require decades of advance notice in order
to be successful.

Sentinel
will
provide decades of notice, and is therefore far and away the most
important thing that can be done now to protect the planet from an
asteroid impact. If there is an impending asteroid impact, the
governments of the world, including Russia, will have time to plan and
execute a deflection mission.